Soft Machine Remastered Versions Have Arrived

It's been a while since my last post. I bought all the Soft Machine re-mastered editions. What's the verdict on "Third"? Well, it certainly is the best sounding release of this album, but sadly it is not the "holy grail" we've been looking for. There is definitely more clarity, but there is still quite a bit of distortion and muddy low-end.

My guess is that most of the low-end mud comes from bad mixing and recording. Subsequent Soft Machine albums were not "produced" by Soft Machine and had a good recording engineer. On "Slightly All the Time" the bass is too prominent in the mix, and when Ratledge doubles on the electric piano the rest of the instruments become lost in mud. "Out-Bloody-Rageous" has distorted horns. Nevertheless, if you're a Soft Machine fan, you've got to have it. By the way, the second CD is the "Proms" 30-minute concert from 1970, so nothing new there.

"Fourth" is considerably better than the One-Way Records release several years back. I'd buy it just to hear "Teeth" and "Virtually" with much better clarity.

"Fifth" also sounds good and contains a previously unreleased take of "All White". Listening to it, I can see why the album take was chosen. It's interesting but the album version sounds more together. Well, as much together as is possible with Phil Howard on drums. In my opinion, John Marshall is the better drummer. To me, Howard is noisy and relies far too much on bashing the cymbals. Perhaps he is trying to emulate Tony Williams but he's no where near Tony's technique. Despite the darkness of "Fifth", I've grown to like this album more and more over the years. Elton Dean plays on fire, and Ratledge's comping on the Rhodes is great. "Pigling Bland" is a great ride for Elton. Ratledge's fuzz organ on "Bone Fire" never sounded so ominous and haunting.

"Sixth" is stronger with Marshall behind the kit. The live side is good, and some of the studio cuts - particularly Ratledge's "Chloe and the Pirates". The trouble with "Sixth" and the albums that follow is the departure of Elton Dean and the arrival of Karl Jenkins. The music becomes more conventional. Also, Jenkins' oboe and baritone playing are grating and uninspired. I find myself longing for the sound of a tenor or alto saxophone.

"Seventh" is absent Hugh Hopper (bass) and Mike Ratledge's role is further reduced. Yet, this is probably Soft Machine's best sounding album from an engineering standpoint. Also, the compositions are better. I think the first side of the album is quite good; I remember being knocked out by "Nettle Bed" when I bought a used vinyl copy back in 1988. "Day's Eye" is a direct quote (or ripoff!) of a John McLaughlin composition on "Extrapolation", but Ratledge provides a nice fuzz organ solo. If you already have this album, then you probably don't have to buy this version since the One Way verison sounded good too.